Threat shuts down 6 southwest Washington schools

The Associated Press

Six schools in suburban Vancouver were closed and nearly 4,300 students were told to stay home Wednesday after multiple threats made against students and staff at one of the schools were found to be credible, authorities said.

The written threats were made Tuesday against Chief Umtuch Middle School in the city of Battle Ground, school district spokesman Gregg Herrington said.

That school was closed, along with four others on the same campus - Captain Strong Primary, Summit View Middle School, CAM Academy and Battle Ground High School. A nearby private school also stayed closed for the day as a precaution.

Police Lt. Roy Butler said officers inspected the five public schools, and nothing suspicious was found.

He said police are not releasing details of the threats as they continue their investigation, but they determined the threats were not a prank. Investigators are consulting with the FBI.

The Battle Ground School District is reviewing the situation with police as it decides whether to resume classes Thursday.

The closures affected about 3,850 of the district's nearly 13,000 students. Another 400 students in preschool through high school grades were affected at the private Firm Foundation Christian School.

Firm Foundation also hopes to reopen Thursday, spokeswoman Andrea Sievers said. There was no direct threat to that school, and it closed as a safety precaution, she said.

Battle Ground is part of the Portland, Ore.-Vancouver metro area. It has a population of about 18,000.